A Promise Never Broken
by DemonShuriken
Summary: Eight years she's waited, eight very long years. But Chihiro's beginning to doubt that her dragon-boy will keep his promise.
1. Chapter 1

My first _Spirited Away_ fic! Despite being hastily/poorly written in my opinion, I still think it turned out halfway decent. I know this idea's been used before, but I figured I'd take a crack at it. So, I hope you all enjoy reading this!

**Disclaimer: **Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli own all the rights to _Spirited Away._

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"…I can't go any farther. Just go back the way you came, you'll be fine; but you have to promise not to look back, not until you've passed through the tunnel."_

_"But what about you, what'll you do?"_

_"Don't worry, I'll go back and have a talk with Yubaba. I'll tell her I'm going to quit being her apprentice... I'm fine, I got my name back!"_

_"Will we meet again sometime?"_

_"Sure we will."_

_"Promise?"_

_"Promise. Now go, and don't look back!"_

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You said we'd meet again, but it's been 8 years, Haku. I didn't know it would be this long,_ the now 18-year-old Chihiro Ogino thought as she walked through her high school for the last time before becoming a college student. She had blossomed into a fine example of womanhood. Many, many boys in her grade eyed her with interest. But she had held out for her dragon boy. _Come on, Chihiro, you're being irrational. Haku's in the Spirit World, and he's stuck there with Yubaba. You know that. Well, there's always the chance that his talk with her worked…who am I kidding. _

She sighed and left the building to head home. Though, it was too perfect a day to go straight there. She used the fair weather to her advantage and headed out on a walk. There was no place in particular she was going. She did follow a road that led out of town though. The road was old, and apparently the town hadn't bothered to pave it. Chihiro knew this road though. A distant memory crept up in her mind. _This is the road to the Spirit World, isn't it. I shouldn't go down here…but maybe I could go visit Haku. I got out once, I can do it again,_ she figured with a shrug. With renewed hope, she ran down the path, her now long hair bobbing side to side with her steps. She saw that red wall that led to the other world. Her heart filled with excitement and hope.

But the door had been sealed.

"W-What? Why…how? Haku…he's trapped! Oh no…oh no, no, no, no, no…" she whispered as she ran her hand over the closed space. Her first thought was of Haku, but then her mind switched to the rest of her friends from the Spirit World. "What about Lin, and Zeniba? No Face, Kamaji and the soot sprites, even Boh…they're all trapped."

Chihiro sank to her knees in front of the wall, as tears started to form. She simply stared at it, and remembered her adventure in that distant land, so many years ago. Slowly, her sorrow turned to disappointment, and anger.

"You said we'd meet again. You said! So where are you Haku! You broke your promise!"

Chirhiro struck the wall, hoping that with some miracle, it would shatter and she could go back to the Spirit World. Yet, her actions only resulted in her injuring her hand.

"Ah…that hurt…" she hissed. Her hand was already starting the bruise and swell as she stood to leave. _I guess I'm never seeing you again,_ she thought as she fled the area. She remembered a small, nearby stream, hidden amongst the trees. She followed the sounds of the water trickling over the rocks. The water was clean and fresh, as the small spring the stream was from bubbled up from somewhere. The young woman dunked her hand in the icy water, to numb the throbbing appendage. Though, she wasn't sure which really hurt more, her hand, or her heart.

_Haku…I'll miss you._

Memories of her dragon boy caused tears to form again. She shut her eyes tightly, fighting to keep her tears from falling.

"Someone as pretty as you shouldn't be crying," a whisper carried by the wind reached her ears.

Chihiro opened her eyes and looked around. All she saw was the shadows of the trees dancing around her. Were they taunting her? They reminded her so much of the shadowy spirits she had encountered, the ones Haku saved her from, in that other world. The world where she would have gone again, had it not been sealed.

"Who's there?" she asked.

"You can't be who I'm looking for. The girl with the little pink shoe who fell into the Kohaku River can't have grown up be so beautiful, and forgot my voice. One or the other I could believe. It's hard to think, that I still remember her voice, when she's forgotten mine."

The voice was closer. A shiver ran down Chihiro's spine as she looked around once more. Still there was no one. _Maybe it's my imagination,_ she thought. She gasped, caught off guard by a hand touching her shoulder tenderly.

"…I thought you broke your promise," she whispered, knowing who it was. Her hand covered his as she leaned back into his embrace.

"I would never break a promise. I would find you again, even in death, if it had been that long." His voice was smooth and rich, like melted chocolate. Chihiro smiled gently,

"Haku, the promise keeping river spirit."

"Chihiro, the human worth keeping a promise too."

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See, what did I tell you, it's pretty poorly written. I believe so, at least. I may revise this in the future. Please review! Flames are welcome, but I like constructive criticism more.


	2. Chapter 2

An epilogue of a sorts to 'A Promise Never Broken,' as one was demanded. The reason as to why Haku was able to return is completely made up. I hope you enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** _Spirited Away_ is the property of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli

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The afternoon was quiet except for the birds, their songs being carried in the warm summer winds. A strange silence had befallen the earth as Chihiro and Haku sat beneath a grand maple tree. The human marveled at how different her dragon boy looked. His hair was certainly longer, as was to be expected, and was worn in a more traditional style. He was, by far, taller then her and had certainly grown more handsome. She blushed slightly as she realized that she was just staring at him.

_After all these years…I should be talking to him about everything. But, I can't seem to find any words,_ she mentally sighed. Her eyes flickered away as Haku looked up at her.

"So…how are you here?" she asked hastily, attempting to feel less awkward.

"I was wondering when you were going to ask that," he replied. "Since I had regained my name, Yubaba was basically obligated to let me go. I spent much of my time wandering through the Spirit World. My river had been filled in remember, for new roads. I technically had no home. But, I knew I had to get back to this world somehow. So, I had made a deal with the Boss. Don't ask about him. It would take too much time to explain what he is. Anyway, he heard about your little escapade in the Spirit World, and found out about Yubaba's bath house. It's against the rules in our world to steal someone's name. My job was to help people regain their names, and allow them to be free. Yubaba shouldn't have held them there in the first place. There were plenty of spirits to help that witch.

"For ten years I helped those trapped there remember their names. Much like I helped you. Once I completed my end of the deal, the Boss allowed me to enter your world, at the cost of becoming a human."

"You mean you're no longer a river spirit? You can't turn into a dragon?"

He nodded, "That's right. I'm a full blooded human now. It's not much different from being a river spirit. It was worth it though. I kept my promise."

"I guess I can't call you my 'dragon boy' anymore," she said with a little grin. Her smile faded a little bit when she realized what she had said. She cursed herself and looked away. _'My dragon boy!' Good job, Chihiro._

"I'll always be yours, Chihiro, dragon boy or human."

Her gaze returned to him as he moved closer to her. Haku had never been one for many words when it came to what he felt. Instead, wordlessly, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. Before she knew it, Chihiro had her head resting in the crook of his neck. _This is nice…_ she thought.

"I lost you once, so you could live and be a normal human. But I'm won't let you continue your normalcy without me, if that is what you want," he murmured.

"Haku, that's what I've wanted for years…I've waited for you to say something like that to me," she admitted.

"Then, I'm not letting you go ever again."

_He never did break his promises.  
_

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Well, there you have it. Please review it and tell me what you think!


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